Indicaciones actuales de tratamiento médico

Mortality associated with cardiovascular disease has decreased in recent decades. The occurrence of this decrease at a time when the population is aging has led to a rise in the prevalence of chronic ischemic heart disease and stable angina and, consequently, an increase in the number of patients with associated comorbidities. Although the most prevalent comorbidities are hypertension and diabetes mellitus, peripheral arterial disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation are also common. In this setting, medical therapy is increasingly complex because of the number of drugs that have to be prescribed. Moreover, new antianginal drugs, such as ranolazine and ivabradine, have provided alternative ways of achieving symptom control. Nevertheless, first-line therapy still involves the administration of optimum medical treatment in accordance with clinical practice guidelines.